Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Cameroon: Political Prisoners

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of political prisoners in Cameroon in the light of the discontinuance of proceedings before military tribunals against 333 prisoners arrested in connection with the crisis in the north west and south west regions of that country.

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the outcomes of the recent national dialogue in Cameroon.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government remains concerned about the crisis in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon. We welcome the convening of the National Dialogue in Cameroon from 30 September to 4 October and the release of 333 prisoners arrested in connection with the crisis. We hope these developments will build confidence among all parties to engage in efforts to bring peace to the North-West and South-West regions. Inclusive discussions about the root causes of people's grievances and follow up on recommendations made at the National Dialogue are urgently needed to maintain momentum. The UK continues to urge the Government of Cameroon to ensure that due process is followed for all those who remain in detention. Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right and must be respected at all times.

Cameroon: Politics and Government

lord boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the governments of (1) France, and (2) the United States of America, the councils of the United Nations, and the Commonwealth about recent developments relating to attempts to end the crisis in Cameroon.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The UK continues to discuss the crisis in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon with international partners including France and the United States, and in multilateral fora including the United Nations (UN) and the Commonwealth. During a briefing on conflict prevention at the UN Security Council on 7 October, the UK welcomed the National Dialogue that took place in Cameroon from 30 September – 4 October as an initial step to bring parties together to work towards peace. Inclusive discussion about the root causes of grievances in Cameroon is urgently needed, and all parties must take action to address these grievances. The UK remains ready to support, and urges the international community, including regional bodies, to engage in efforts to end the crisis.

Civil Servants: Languages

baroness coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many civil servants from each department have taken language courses at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Language Centre over the past 12 months, and in which languages.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We do not hold data capturing the total number of officers who have participated in developmental language classes at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on an annual basis, but we can provide the number of officers per department, per language who have enrolled in classes this term (Autumn 2019). These overall numbers are similar for the previous two terms this year, although some officers have continued from one term to the next while others have left and been replaced. The information is captured in the table which is attached due to its size.



HL 24 Table 
(Word Document, 130.97 KB)

Bulgaria: Football

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Bulgaria about the behaviour of spectators present at the Bulgaria vs England football match on 14 October.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The United Kingdom strongly condemns the racist conduct of some spectators present at the Bulgaria vs England football match on 14 October, as does the Bulgarian Government. The United Kingdom welcomes the swift action by Bulgarian Government, and our Ambassador to Bulgaria has spoken with senior Bulgarian Government figures on this issue.The United Kingdom remains committed, both domestically and internationally, to eliminating any form of racism, including in the sports industry.

Cyprus: Peace Negotiations

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they havemade an assessment of (1) the report of the United Nations Secretary-General on the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, published on 10 July, (2) the willingness of the Greek Cypriot representatives to resume negotiations and (3) the likelihood of such negotiations leading to an outcome where both Turkish and Greek Cypriot groups will have political equality.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The United Kingdom welcomes the support the Security Council expressed in July for the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), and will continue to work with others to ensure UNFICYP can carry out its mission effectively and efficiently. We also welcome the commitment of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders, as announced following their meeting on 9 August, to finalise Terms of Reference to enable results-oriented negotiations leading to a settlement with a sense of urgency; and the next steps agreed to achieve this.It is for the sides to agree on the details of any final deal. A settlement will require the agreement of the two leaders, the support of Greece and Turkey and – importantly – successful referenda in each community.The United Kingdom is a strong supporter of a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Cyprus issue, based on the internationally accepted model of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation.

Cyprus: Politics and Government

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been their assessment of the implications of the recent Memorandum of Understanding with the Republic of Cyprus for the Government’s role as a guarantor power under 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, and for the rights of the Turkish Cypriot community to be fairly represented on the island; and what were the reasons for agreeing that Memorandum.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Defence and Security Co-operation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Cyprus was signed on 4 April 2019, in order to build on the existing Bilateral Defence and Co-operation Programme and strengthen our cooperation. The MoU has no implications for the United Kingdom's role as a Guarantor Power under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee or for how the Turkish Cypriot community is represented on the island.

Ministry of Defence

Afghanistan: Interpreters

baroness coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Earl Howe on 17 June (HL Deb, col 655), whether the Ministry of Defence review of security clearance procedures for Afghan interpreters who have been relocated to the United Kingdom has been completed; and, if so, what changes have been made to facilitate their employment by NATO.

baroness goldie: The review of security clearance policy for interpreters deployed in support of military operations is ongoing and nearing its conclusion. In the interim, requests by interpreters for security clearances are being considered on a case-by-case basis.

Afghanistan: Armed Forces

baroness coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the contract with thebigword to provide interpreting and translation services to the United Kingdom armed forces in Afghanistan will be reviewed.

baroness goldie: Joint Forces Command manages the current contract with The Big Word. However, this is being replaced with contract award expected in the first half of next year. Included in the Statement of Requirement - which bidders will quote against - is the new policy relating to threats and intimidation of interpreters in theatre.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

lord moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Goldie on 8 October (HL17928), why approximately 90 per cent of applications from those who apply to join the Armed Forces are rejected.

baroness goldie: As I stated in Written Answer HL17928, the two tables relating to applications and inflow are not directly comparable. The assertion that 90 per cent of applicants are rejected is incorrect.There are various reasons why applicants to the Armed Forces do not always complete the recruitment process, including not meeting the particular requirements for their chosen role or Service, accepting competing offers from industry or Further Education, or a change of mind.However, the Services are working hard to improve the conversion rate of applicants in the near term by continually refining policies and processes such that we maximise their chances of completing the recruiting journey and joining the Armed Forces.

Department for Work and Pensions

Industrial Health and Safety: Farms

lord stevenson of balmacara: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases involving children at farms have been investigated by the Health and Safety Executive in each of the last 10 years.

baroness stedman-scott: In each of the last 10 years, the table below shows the number of incidents, or concerns followed up, the Health and Safety Executive has investigated regarding the health and safety of children on farms:  YearFatal/non-fatal injuries investigated  Concerns followed up2018/20194172017/2018292016/20174112015/20163122014/20152112013/20146262012/20134222011/2012172010/2011342009/201041

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Public Footpaths

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on17 November 2016 (HL Deb, col 1532), what assessment they have made of the current state of the footpath network in England; and whether its condition has improved or worsened since that answer.

lord gardiner of kimble: Responsibility for the management and maintenance of the 118,000 miles of public rights of way in England lies with local authorities. Natural England assess the condition of the network of National Trails, which are maintained to agreed Quality Standards. The last assessment covered the 2017/18 reporting year and noted that the number of out of condition items (such as gates and stiles) remained relatively low during the monitoring period.

Public Footpaths

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byLord Gardiner of Kimble on 17 November 2016 (HL Deb, col 1532), what was the outcome of their discussions with the chief executive of the Ramblers.

lord gardiner of kimble: I have met the Chief Executive of the Ramblers several times since November 2016. At these meetings we discussed a number of areas including the England Coast Path, National Trails, rights of way reform and the 25 Year Environment Plan. We noted the positive working relationship between our organisations and agreed to continue engagement on these matters in future.

Scotland Office

Devolution: Scotland

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received any requests from the Scottish Government for additional powers to be devolved to the Scottish Parliament in the last six months.

viscount younger of leckie: The Secretary of State for Scotland has regular discussions with the Scottish Government on a range of issues. I can confirm that the UK Government have not received any requests from the Scottish Government for additional powers to be devolved to the Scottish Parliament in the last six months.

Treasury

Collateral (UK)

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether when the FCA processed the FSMA full Part A application made by Collateral (UK) Limited on 23 March 2016, for which Collateral paid a fee of £1,500, whether it checked the information already contained in its Interim Permission file 656714; and whether it checked details on Collateral at Companies House and the date of Collateral's incorporation in respect of the date of grant of Interim Permission.

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the interim permission granted to Regal Pawnbroker Limited, subsequently renamed Collateral (UK) in the Financial Conduct Authority’s register, would have lapsed automatically on 31 March 2016 if an application had not been passed for Part 4A Permission under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

the earl of courtown: The FCA is responsible for the regulation of the financial services sector and is operationally independent from Government. These questions relate to the FCA and have been passed on to them. The FCA will reply directly to Lord Myners by letter, and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Debit Cards: Fees and Charges

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have toreview debit card charges for retailers such as vehicle retailers which deal in high value transactions.

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made howthe rights of, and protection for, customers and retailers are affected when high-value goods are purchased using bank transfers rather than debit cards.

the earl of courtown: The Government set up the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to protect consumers from the harm that can be caused by bad conduct in the financial services industry. In 2015, it also set up the world’s only Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) with a statutory objective to ensure that payment systems are operated in a way that takes account of users’ needs. The FCA is the UK’s competent authority for the Payment Services Regulations (PSRs) 2017. The PSRs aim to make payments safer and more secure and protect consumers. As set out in these regulations, if a payment transaction (be that a bank transfer or debit card payment) is not properly authorised by the customer, the customer’s bank or payment service provider must refund the amount of the transaction to the payer. For authorised payment scams, where the customer has authorised a bank transfer but the money has been paid to a fraudulent recipient, the PSR has brought together consumer representatives and banks to produce an industry code of conduct to address this issue. Launched in May 2019, the code sets out agreed principles for greater protection of consumers and the circumstances in which they will be reimbursed, marking a significant step in delivering improved protections for customers. Regarding debit card charges, the UK implemented the EU’s Interchange Fee Regulation in 2015 which introduced a cap on one of the key fees applicable to card payments. The European Commission is in the process of reviewing the effectiveness of this regulation as part of its usual process. The PSR, who is the UK’s lead competent authority for the Interchange Fee Regulation, is also conducting a review into the supply of card-acquiring services. Amongst other things, this review will examine the fees merchants pay for these services. The Government is open to hearing views on this issue, and digital payments more broadly, as evidenced by its Call for Evidence on Cash and Digital Payments in the New Economy.

Public Finance

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the prediction by the Institute for Fiscal Studies that a no-deal Brexit would increase borrowing to £92 billion a year and total debt as a share of national income would rise by 2024 to 83 per cent.

the earl of courtown: The government’s medium-term economic and fiscal forecasting is undertaken by the Office for Budget Responsibility in line with its statutory duty. In line with its remit, the OBR’s forecasts include the economic and fiscal impact of government policy on EU exit where the effects can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. The OBR has said that it will adjust its Brexit assumptions when more detail is available on the future trade and migration relationship between the UK and EU. The Office for Budget Responsibility will produce a new economic and fiscal forecast at the forthcoming Budget.